Grateful Dead members, John Mayer band up for Dead & Company

NEW YORK (AP) — Members of the Grateful Dead are coming back to life in a new supergroup with John Mayer.

Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Bob Weir have joined with Mayer to form the band Dead & Company. They will perform Oct. 31 at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The Dead reunited this summer for the Fare Thee Well tour that included five shows in Chicago and Santa Clara, California, celebrating their 50th anniversary.

"Fare Thee Well proved to me that I'm not done exploring new rhythmic territory with Mickey — I'm recommending that everyone puts their helmet on, because we are going to blast our way into some serious drums and space," Kreutzmann said in a statement Wednesday. "And with Mayer riding shotgun with Weir — we're in good company, so to speak."

Though Phil Lesh was part of the Fare Thee Well tour, he is not participating in Dead & Company. A press release said he will "continue to perform in his band Phil and Friends."

Tickets for the Halloween show will go on sale Aug. 14. Top-tier tickets will be priced under $100, while $50 tickets will be available in honor of the Dead's 50th anniversary, according to the press release.

"There is a place where music, dreams and magic come together," Hart said. "Grateful Dead music is a portal to that place. It was built to last!"

Mayer, 37, said that he "deeply" loves the Dead's music.

"It has inspired me in ways I never imagined. To help carry this music is the opportunity and the honor of a lifetime," he said.